Like a bubble bath for the soul
I spent an hour today in front of the Blessed Sacrament at the Cathedral today. It was really nice. Normally, when I spend time in front of the sacrament, I do it a little something like this:
1) Divine Mercy Chaplet - Relaxes me and gets me in a spiritual state of mind
2) Rosary - Because I know I should do them. I like the Divine Mercy Chaplet more, but I need to do the Rosary as well.
3) Mass readings - If I've missed mass (which is normally the case if I am spending time in front of the Tabernacle), I'll read the scripture readings for the day, and the thoughts from the Magnificat.
4) Personal Prayer - I'll usually read the Evening Prayers from the Magnificat, and then I'll do a personal intercessory prayer, when I'll pray for the people in my life that need it and for me to draw closer to God.
At the end, I'll bow and cross myself with holy water. The whole process takes about an hour or so. Afterwards, I always feel so serene and relaxed. The stresses of the world melt away. I can deal with everyday stresses when I spend time with God and put it all in perspective.
posted by DB @ 7:12:00 PM
7 comments
7 Comments:
I'm rather new to all this - what's a "Divine Mercy Chaplet?"
That's not a bad question at all - I didn't know what it was for a long time.
There's a link in my sidebar for the "Divine Mercy Devotion" which has the instructions on how to pray this devotion.
The premise behind this prayer is that you are praying for the mercy of God, and you are offering up the body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ in atonement for sins, both personal, and for the whole world. It is done on a regular Rosary, although they now have special Divine Mercy rosaries with pictures of the Divine Mercy portrait on them (the pic is on the link).
I prefer the Divine Mercy because the decade prayer (the one said on the "small" beads) is short and sweet, and it is very easy for me to meditate on the image of Christ's passion, especially his time on the cross. It helps me feel closer to God and to Christ and his suffering.
Also, being a convert, I am in a very pentient state of mind, and praying the Divine Mercy chaplet helps me to be pentient and humble before God as I beg for his mercy for my sins. I desparately need humility, and this prayer helps me to get closer to the point of humility which I desire to be.
I hope this explanation helps. I would strongly encourage you to print out the prayers and pray them when you get a chance. They also have holy cards with the prayer in Catholic book stores and in most gift shops attached to churches.
Also, when I first started praying this rosary, I felt it odd to offer up the body and blood of Christ. I had a hard time getting my mind around that.
But then I read how offering up the body and blood is very similar to the way that the mass is offered each week. It's a symbol of our rememberance of his sacrifice on the cross for all of us. Most web pages discussing the Divine Mercy can give you a better explanation than that, though.
UGH! I can't type today. Doing the Divine Mercy chapelet is NOT a rosary. The prayers are counted with a rosary, but it is a completely separate devotion.
Have I thoroughly confused you yet??
On the rosary, (my personal favorite, not that there's anything wrong with the Divine Mercy Chaplet or anything :) it is very beneficial to read meditations on the mysteries, and also to view an image of the mystery during the decades. I particulary like images of Greco-Russian icons, as they really draw you into the mysteries.
For the Catholic wing of your increasing library, try The Secret of the Rosary.
Just curious, Cynthia. Do you meditate during your DMC decades? I've done it both with and without meditation, and without meditation it's so hard to stay focused. But I get the sense that most people do it without meditation.
Well, of course you meditate. {blush} Sorry about that. I ought to read the comment section before I comment.
Thank you both for your explanations!
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